


Spider-Man: Project Prometheus

by LunaTheOracle



Category: Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man (Comicverse), Spider-Man - All Media Types, Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017), The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Action, Adventure, Comedy, F/M, Mutants, OC, Romance, Spider Man - Freeform, Spider-Man - Freeform, spiderman - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-31
Updated: 2019-08-27
Packaged: 2020-04-05 06:00:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 17,722
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19042558
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LunaTheOracle/pseuds/LunaTheOracle
Summary: Homecoming was just last month, and just last month did Peter put Liz's father in jail and declined Tony Stark's proposition of becoming an Avenger. But he regrets both decisions, and now must live with the consequences.It comes as a surprise to Peter when Tony asks him to keep an eye on a girl he never knew existed, but apparently had been in his class for the past three years. She apparently is vital to Stark Industries, and at all costs, Peter must not engage.Yet, Kaia Jez is just an ordinary girl living with her grandmother in a very quiet neighborhood. Peter begins to wonder why Tony actually put him on watch, thinking Tony just wanted to keep him busy.But when a group of men follow Kaia in the middle of the night, Peter finds out there is more to her, and her hair, when she levels an entire street.





	1. New Assignment

"You want me to do what?"

Tony kept his gaze on the hologram emanating from his wristwatch, completely ignoring Peter's widened eyes. They had been sitting in Tony's car for the last 20 minutes, parked a few blocks away from Peter's apartment.

"Listen kid, think of it as your first assignment in pre-Avengers school," Tony said, pressing a few buttons and pulling up 50 new tabs with texts and pictures.

"But I thought I was already an Avenger..." Peter muttered, his eyes now scanning the screen as well. He briefly saw pictures of an explosion and different weapons, as well as people profiles. But Tony was going through them so quickly he could barely keep up and process what exactly he was looking at.

"Your target is a girl named Kaia Jez. Monitor her activity, but don't engage. Report anything out of the ordinary- Those... Are your strict orders. Capisce?"

Peter frowned. "Uhm, Mr. Stark? Isn't that just another way of saying to stalk her?" Peter asked.

Tony chuckled. "Don't engage, I said. She's of some importance to us and if you see anything suspicious, report back to Happy."

"Oh uh, alright. What... What exactly do you mean by suspicious-?"

"Kid, no time for this discussion. You'll know it when you'll see it. Now, your aunt May should have dinner ready by now and you can't be late. Off you go."

Tony turned off the hologram and waited for Peter to step out. The boy did so gingerly, not really sure what to do. But before Happy drove off, Peter knocked on the window of the car.

"What?" Tony called out.

"You didn't tell me where she is," Peter said.

"I thought you knew her?" Tony said, tilting his head to the side. "She's only been in your class for like, the past three years."

"She what?" Peter didn't have the chance to inquire further as the car quickly drove off, tires screeching against the road.

Peter thought for a moment. Was it possible that he had never noticed her? He tried to recall his classmates but drew a blank for a girl named Kaia. He knew he had to find her quickly, and if she was in his class then he would hopefully see her in the following week. He then started to wonder what was so peculiar about her that Tony Stark took an interest. Maybe she was also bitten by an insect and got powers just like him? Was she in hiding? Was she actually a high profile criminal? Ideas spun around Peters' head, but he was quickly grounded when he could smell aunt May's burning meatloaf.

***

"So... Tell me what Mr. Stark said last night!" Ned said as they walked to chemistry class. Peter hadn't slept all night as he was trying to come up with a plan to find Kaia. He looked and felt like a goat repeatedly kicked him upside the head. If Kaia was in any of his classes, then he would hopefully see her in the next few days. He was also tempted to go to the administration office and look her up, but the secretary would never let him look through those himself. He'd have to sneak in at night, or just wait it out.

"Top secret mission, Ned. I have to keep an eye out for someone," Peter said proudly, and Ned couldn't help but squee in excitement.

"Some criminal mastermind? One of the other Avengers? BLACK WIDOW?" Ned's eyes sparkled and Peter laughed.

"Some girl named Kaia Jez, apparently she's been in our class for the last three years," Peter said. Ned frowned, then shrugged.

"It kinda rings a bell but... I can't quite..." Ned paused for a moment, then looked like he had an existential crisis. "Peter, did some kind of alien wipe out our memories?"

Peter didn't know. He had no idea why neither he nor Ned could put a face to the name, but was determined to solve the mystery as soon as possible.

Ned and Peter spoke about a variety of things on their way to class, like whether or not they'd have time to complete another LEGO project this weekend at Peter's place, and if Peter could take Ned to the new Avengers Headquarters for a tour, to which he said he would never do. Ever. They even talked about the new Star Wars movie Ned seemed to be overly excited about, but Peter couldn't quite hype himself up just yet with Tony's mission on his mind.

They walked into the classroom and immediately sat down at the back, hoping they could have a view of the entire class. Peter tapped his books nervously, staring around the room and snapping his head towards the door as new people shuffled in. He ruled out all of the guys, as well as MJ, and suddenly he realized Kaia may have slipped his mind as he only had eyes for Liz in the past few years.

Liz.

It had been exactly a month since she had left school. Exactly a month since he had put her father behind bars. He wasn't exactly happy about that, as that killed all chances he had with her whether she knew his identity or not. He still hated himself for it, and sometimes it kept him up at night, but it all had to be done for the greater good. That's what he kept telling himself.

"I mean, Spider-Man and I are pretty tight now."

Peter and Ned exchanged side glances.

"He even asked to borrow my car! And of course, me being the cool guy that I am, told him to keep it."

Flash laughed with his peers, then his eyes set on Peter and he immediately sneered.

"Hey, Penis Parker!" he called out. Peter gave him an acknowledging nod and smile. But when Flash turned around, he immediately showed him a few fingers which Ned quietly laughed at.

"So you have absolutely no idea what Kaia looks like?" Ned whispered as class started. Peter shook his head.

"I should've asked Karen."

"I mean, how hard could it be? Unless Kaia is her real identity, and she goes by another name here at school-" Ned gasped and hit Peter on the arm. "Maybe she's a Russian spy? A Russian double agent?"

Peter ignored that theory and scanned the room again as everyone settled in their seats. MJ was sitting at the back on the other side, scribbling in her notebook while looking sleep deprived, not that she had any other looks. And then his gaze switched to another chair where Liz used to sit, and he felt his chest tighten. Whenever he passed by this class he would see her in that seat through the door window and stand there watching until Ned pointed out how creepy he looked and had to move on. Peter shook his head at the memories and turned his attention to his computer.

***

The school bell made Peter jump up. Chemistry was already over and he and Ned had English next.

"Hey Peter, I think I'm going to go grab some chips, you want an-?" But Ned's words were cut short when they overheard Flash talking to a girl that was sitting at the front of the class.

"So Jizzy, how's that science project coming along?"

Peter's eyes immediately fell onto the girl he called Jizzy, and he did recognize her. She had chestnut brown hair that looked greasy, glasses that were well outdated and wore a torn up Aeropostale sweater over a shirt that could be mistaken for a wearable doily.

"It would have progressed a lot more from the last time you asked me if you helped out," she said. Peter gasped internally, thinking she was in for it for talking back to Flash like that. Both he and Ned stared at the pair with big eyes, anticipating their exchange. As Peter recalled, she was a very quiet girl who only participated in English class, and disappeared anywhere else. Kind of like MJ, only he noticed her because she kept insulting him.

"Listen toots, when the teacher paired us up, I thought it would be obvious that I would just fund your ideas and we would have the best science project for the fair. You're much smarter than me anyway, I would just slow you down."

"Baking soda volcano it is," she looked him square in the eyes, and he seemed to lean away ever so slightly.

"You wouldn't dare."

"I only need two hours of your time every week, Eugene-"

"Don't call me that!" he hissed.

"I don't ask for much. I have my own issues to take care of. I can't have an entire science project on my shoulders as well."

"I told you I'd give you the money, what's the issue here?"

"I don't want you to take the credit for my work!"

"Whatever you say, Jizzy." He rolled his eyes and left in a fury while snickering with his group of friends. They all started to make fun of her, repeatedly calling her Jizzy in a mocking tone. The girl sighed and closed her eyes while balling her fists up. After a moment, she packed her bags and left the classroom with her head slung low and back hunched up.

"Poor girl."

Both Ned and Peter jumped up at the sound of MJ's voice.

"Do you always have to sneak up on us?!" Peter yelled as he gripped his chest.

"Yeah, it's fun." MJ laughed. "I probably should go talk to her as well. We've got an essay to write for English together. Should stay on her good side."

"Wait!" he called out as MJ moved passed them, and she turned around with an unimpressed look. "Why does he call her Jizzy anyway?"

"Unfortunate, right? You'd think Flash has a thing with the male body, all with calling you Penis Parker..." she snorted, "... And her Jizzy."

"What's her real name?" Ned asked. "I feel like all this time I've only known her as Jizzy."

"You mean you don't know? We've only been in the same class for like three years. You guys are terrible."

"Well, I completely forgot Flash's real name is Eugene until she mentioned it," Peter grumbled.

"Yeah, but you seem to remember all of the different types of skirts Liz wore."

The boys' jaws fell open, and Peter looked hurt.

"It's because her last name is Jez, genius. Start paying attention to the world, Parker."

MJ gave them a salute and merged into the stream of students making their way to their next class. Peter sighed, thinking Jizzy was just another unfortunate victim of Flash's relentless bullying and teasing. He sure was glad he wasn't paired up with him for the science fair project. He then remembered he should've started on that weeks ago. But with everything going on with the Vulture and saving the world, a fair project was the least of his worries.

"Uh, Peter?"

The boy turned to Ned, who looked like he had seen a ghost. "Did she just say Jez? As in, Kaia Jez?"

Peter's face fell momentarily, and with a gasp, they both sprinted out of the classroom and into the hallway.


	2. Kaia

Peter and Ned got stuck running through the English class door at the same time, and they both scrambled for a moment. Their teacher, Mrs. Ida, regarded them with a raised eyebrow. Peter managed to squeeze past Ned and fell face first into the class, while the rest of the students stepped over him without paying much attention.

He jumped to his feet and quickly looked around for Kaia, only to see she was sitting next to the door while eyeing him worriedly. MJ was next to her, shaking her head disapprovingly at him.

Peter dragged Ned around the tables and sat down on Kaia's right. MJ peeked out behind Kaia with her elbow propped up, a devious grin stretching on her lips.

"So Peter, I never saw you this close to the board before," MJ said. "You got a sudden interest in English literature?"

Kaia glanced to the side at him, but quickly went back to looking at her notes. Peter's eyes moved from Kaia to MJ, and his brain suddenly short-circuited. With MJ in the way, he couldn't approach his target efficiently, or smoothly.

"I just think the uh- The Ancient Renaissance period had some pretty great pieces so I wanted to actually listen for once," Peter said.

"Okay," MJ raised her eyebrows at him. "First of all, Ancient Renaissance doesn't exist, second of all, I want you to name something from that period other than anything from Shakespeare."

Kaia looked to him this time, waiting for an answer as well. Peter stammered, and kicked Ned under the table in hopes that he could give him an answer. He, unfortunately, looked like a deer caught in the headlights as well.

Peter glanced down at Kaia's table, and it looked like she was subtly inching her notebook towards him. In the corner were written a few words that he managed to read, and with a bright smile he looked back to MJ and said, "Don Juan, Moliere."

MJ pursed her lips then gave an acknowledging nod. "Alright, but just so you know, we're doing the Victorian era today." She turned back to her book, not questioning him further.

"Thank you," Peter mouthed to Kaia, who's cheeks tinged a light pink as she smiled.

He had never noticed just how much she participated in English class. Then again, he never listened either. Science was his thing, as this was mainly a school for science. She was awfully quiet in Chemistry, but in English class, it was as if she was a totally different person. Then he wondered if Flash was putting too much faith in a girl that seemed to love books more than science for their project.

"Peter?"

The boy flinched and looked to Mrs. Ida, then noticed the entire class was staring at him.

"What did I just say?"

Peter stammered again, blinking repeatedly and intertwined his fingers, taking a long pause.

"If you're going to be sitting up front, you might as well pretend to be listening instead of staring at Ms. Jez."

The entire class cooed, and Kaia looked like she wanted to hide under her desk. Thankfully, the bell rang and all of the students jumped up to their feet and rushed out the door.

"So we're pretty much done, right?"

Peter looked to MJ who was talking with Kaia, and the latter nodded.

"Just a few references left, but I think the Brontë sisters would thank us for our depiction of them," Kaia said as she got up and slung her bag over her shoulder. Only, Peter got up at the same time and she ended up hitting him square in the face. She turned around and looked alarmed as she saw him cup the side of his face. She apologized to him over and over again but he simply laughed it off. MJ, on the other hand, looked rather content that he got hit.

"Awesome." MJ went to high five her but the other flinched. Kaia quickly composed herself and met her hand, and MJ left while punching Peter in the arm then slapping him behind the head.

Kaia gave him a quick smile and another apology as she made her way to exit the classroom. Suddenly, Ned punched Peter on the arm and whispered to him angrily that it was his chance.

"Seriously everyone needs to stop hurting me," Peter growled.

Peter skidded out of the classroom, craning his neck in hopes to spot the greasy brown hair among the students. There was more than one, but hers had a rich chestnut color that he spotted already turning into another corridor. He jogged towards that direction, but when he turned into the adjacent hallway, she wasn't there.

"Are you following me?"

Peter jumped up and gripped his chest. "What is it with you people today?"

Kaia laughed. "So you are?"

"No- No- NO!" he held out his hands, trying to contain the situation. "I just wanted to apologize. For the record, I wasn't staring at you-"

"It's fine," she said. "I know I'm beautiful and you can't resist me."

Peter paused, tilting his head to the side with an unsure look. Kaia burst out into laughter.

"I'm sorry, I have a poor sense of humor. I wasn't serious," she said and chuckled. "I'm pretty sure this is why I have no friends."

They both stood in awkward silence, and whatever social skills Peter had gone out the window. He hadn't thought this through. He was told he shouldn't engage in any way with her, but he wanted to understand what Tony wanted him to keep an eye out for exactly. She didn't seem threatening, hell, he'd seen Chihuahuas look more vicious than she did. She did give off an odd vibe though, as if there was something pulling him towards her. And not in a romantic way, the hairs on his arm literally pointed towards her no matter where she moved.

"Peter?"

His eyes locked with hers, and then he shook his head. "Sorry, I keep spacing out today."

"Did you want to tell me something? Why did you follow me to my locker?" He hadn't even noticed that's where they were. He scratched the back of his head and kept fidgeting in place, unable to find the right words. "If this is about getting back at me for hitting you with my bag, I'm extremely sorry"

"I- Uh, I just wanted to say that you shouldn't let Flash get to you... Like that." He paused. "And uh, if he's not much help for the project, I could always lend you a hand."

Her eyes widened. "But why? You have your own project to do with Ned."

"Ned? You know Ned?" Peter blinked in surprise.

"Yeah, we've had a few classes together in the past few years. I know you two always hang out together. I don't see why you would be lending me a hand when it's a competition."

"I mean, I know how Flash can be, so I won't do a lot of the work but if you ever need a hand... I'm pretty uh, handy in Chemistry. A bit more than in Physics. I mean I've got straight A's in both but-"

"You've never spoken to me in the past three years and you're suddenly worried about my science project?" Kaia asked, and then her face fell. "Did Flash put you up to this?"

"What-? No that's not-!"

"I have to go. Thank you for the offer but I'll pass. Have a nice day." Her voice cracked as she said those last words, and quickly left towards the science wing.

"Well, that was a disaster."

Ned came out from hiding and put a hand onto Peter's shoulder. Peter looked beside himself and wanted to yank all of his hair off for having screwed it up. He failed at not engaging with her, failed at finding out why Tony was so interested in her, and she also seemed to dislike him.

"Come on, I hear they're serving hotdogs," Ned said and steered his best friend towards the cafeteria for lunch.

 

***

 

"I hate this assignment," Peter grumbled.

After school, Peter quickly changed into his suit and tailed Kaia around town. She was sitting in a cafe with a girl, probably a friend, while he was on the roof of the building on the opposite side of the road. Karen gave him the possibility to listen in on their conversation, but it was a bit hard to hear with everyone else talking as well. It wasn't anything interesting though, they were only talking about TV shows and gossiping about family.

"Status report," Ned said over the phone.

"She's eating a cupcake-"

"What kind?"

"Is that really relevant? I feel enough like a stalker as it is."

"What. Kind."

"Looks like salted caramel."

"A good choice."

" _Peter_ ," Karen stepped in, " _You might want to pay attention. They're talking about you._ "

The boy immediately turned up the volume using the holographic control panel, and it felt like the girls were right there with him.

"Like, can you imagine we've been in a few classes together and he's never even acknowledged me until today? What kind of bad joke is this? I still think Flash is behind it. But maybe... I don't know, maybe I'm just cynical."

"I don't get it either, Yaya," the other girl said, and Peter couldn't help but chortle. "Parker is a little weird. Him and his friend. Maybe he finally woke up and thought you were pretty?"

"Hannah, he's had eyes for Elizabeth Allan last I heard."

Peter threw his hands in the air. Did the entire planet know?

"So what are you going to do about it? You made it pretty final you don't really want to talk with him."

"It keeps nagging at my brain... Maybe I jumped the gun with him?"

"I'm already set on killing Flash for that horrible nickname, you just say the word and I can add Peter to the list too."

Peter gulped and rubbed his neck.

Kaia laughed. "Please don't. I think I should probably apologize to him," Kaia sighed. "Maybe if we talked about it? I should just be direct, right? I guess I was a little surprised when he spoke to me... Cute guys don't usually talk to me."

Peter couldn't hide his smile. He couldn't believe she thought he was cute, let alone she was protecting him from Hannah's wrath.

"Oh my god," Hannah said. "You've fallen for him, haven't you?"

"No!"

"One guy shows you the least bit of attention and it's already wedding bells for you. Why do you do this to yourself?"

"I don't like him, I just think he's cute. He's got that nerdy cuteness to him. You should've seen him in English today-"

"So I'm thinking red, white, and blue wedding colors? Like, Captain America themed? Think he's a fan like you?"

"Oh, shut up."

"I just don't see how you can like a guy in such a tight suit."

Peter started laughing then, and the girls moved onto another topic. He leaned against the edge of the building, a goofy smile stretched on his lips.

"IS THAT ALL?" Ned's voice boomed, which threw Peter to the ground and made him grip his ears. He forgot to turn the volume down.

"NED!" Peter yelled out.

" _Peter, they're moving,_ " Karen said.

"Okay Ned gotta go, I'll call later!"

Peter watched the girls leave the cafe and hug goodbye, each going their separate ways. He took his time by walking in step with Kaia on the rooftops, jumping from one building to another leisurely.

"Hey, Karen?"

" _Yes Peter?_ "

"Does Mr. Stark have a file on her?"

" _He does, but it's heavily encrypted. I can only pull up a few things._ "

In front of Peter's eyes appeared tabs with writing on them and pictures. With a swipe of his hand, he went through them, reading the paragraphs diagonally.

" _It seems her adoptive parents died three years ago,_ " Karen said. " _A car crash while they were vacationing in Florida._ "

Peter's chest tightened at the thought. His parents and uncle were gone too. He wondered in what way that took a toll on her since it was so recent. He was just a child when he lost his parents, and didn't remember much of them. But Uncle Ben’s memory burned his mind. Aunt May was all that was left of his family, and he was happy. He wondered with whom Kaia lived now. If she also lived with her aunt, then the coincidence was too good to be true.

" _School records show she's only failing P.E. and has stellar grades everywhere else. She's mentioned on her future aspirations that she'd like to attend Columbia University. She also joined the Thor fan club when she was 12 and actively takes part in Avengers discussion forums. Would you like me to pull up the posts she made about Spider-Man?"_

Peter's ears perked up but he shook his head. He had to concentrate on the task at hand, though he was a little curious. It surprised him that she had good grades in all of her classes but one, even though she only ever participated enthusiastically in English. Was she just a quiet genius and no one ever knew about it? Was that the reason why Flash was so adamant about her doing their project?

Peter hopped over onto the building opposite of the one Kaia had just entered and he sat down on the ledge, getting comfortable. His body-heat vision scanned the building and saw that she stopped on the third floor and walked to the other end of the apartment complex. Karen switched on his heightened hearing, and he braced himself.

"Baba, I'm home!" she called out. Someone spoke in a low tone, and Peter couldn't understand what they were saying. He did pick up that there was another person in the apartment, sitting in a large room. "I'll get the food ready!"

Peter peered in through one of the windows and noticed Kaia enter through a door, throwing her bag onto a bed. He guessed it was her room, and she quickly left again.

Peter's phone rang, and he looked at the screen to see Ned's quadruple chins.

"Hey, I'm currently outside of Kaia's apartment," Peter said. "Looking through her window."

"You gonna try and sneak into her room?" Ned asked.

"Nah, Mr. Stark said I shouldn't engage."

Ned groaned. "Well, you won't find out much by just staring at her through a window like some creep."

"Oh, because snooping around her room would make me less of a creep?"

"Peter, do you want answers as to who she is to Mr. Stark or not?"

It was a question that absolutely burned him at this point. She was too ordinary to be of any importance to someone like Tony Stark. There must have been something about her that made him take an interest in her. Was she his illegitimate child? Was she smart enough to rival Bruce Banner or himself and he needed her brains for a top secret death ray that could wipe out the entire human race? Was she an alien? Were aliens looking for her brains for a top secret death ray that could wipe out the entire human race?

Peter swung from the roof to the side of her building, and ever so quietly he opened up her window. He slipped into her room and immediately used the scanning feature of his suit. It was a relatively small room with a single bed and desk, walls painted a light lavender color.

" _The password to her computer is sexymerica20sr,_ " Karen said, and Peter had to stifle a laugh. But as he approached her desk, he noticed hundreds of papers were plastered on her wall in front of him. There were all kinds of mathematical equations and chemical formulas, schematics for tech he never knew existed. He stared at it with his mouth agape, eyebrows slowly knitting together.

"Karen, can you analyze these and tell me what they are?" Peter whispered.

" _Commencing analysis, this may take a while._ "

Peter continued to walk around her room. He checked her trash but there wasn't anything relevant other than a few bag of chips and tissues. Her night table contained an extensive supply of cold medicine, a bible, a few magnets, and a diary. He opened it, but the dates were very inconsistent. It seemed like she only wrote when she was upset, or important events happened in her life. The last entry was from three years ago, July 7th. His heart sank as he realized she was writing about the accident her parents were in.

"I'm going to do homework!"

Peter almost yelped and threw the diary back into her night table. The door clicked open, and his first instinct was to jump onto the ceiling. She walked in and immediately paused, looking at her window; Peter had left it open.

But she didn't bother to close it, and just sat down at her desk. She grabbed a notebook which she opened it to one of the final pages. She began to scribble down some things, and after a moment, she turned on her computer. Peter noticed her wallpaper was of her and who he believed to be her parents. She turned on some 80s rock music and continued to write, singing along off-key and moving her head to the beat. Peter tried hard not to laugh. He needed to wait until she stepped out again to make his escape, and made sure every time she moved her head he was well out of sight.

After an hour of working, Kaia stretched her arms and yawned out the lyrics to _Don't Stop Believin'_. She walked towards her door and Peter got ready to make a break for it. She put her ear against the door and waited for a moment before carefully opening it, and tiptoed out. Peter swung himself outside and stuck himself to the building wall before jumping back to the roof where he was earlier.

" _Peter, the results are back."_

He almost responded, but Kaia returning to her room caught his attention. She was wearing a pink bathrobe and was brushing her teeth, and suddenly she broke out in an interpretive dance. Peter found himself laughing again, unable to look away from her wriggling and jiggling to the music.

" _Please focus Peter,"_ Karen said, and Peter cleared his throat. " _It seems that they are all different kinds of chemical solutions and technology. Everything ranges from a serum that regenerates tissue, to a plant revitalizer and an atom splitting machine. The writing, however, is not hers. All but one."_

"An atom splitting machine?" Peter asked with his eyes widened. "Isn't that...?"

" _It does not seem to be meant for nuclear purposes. The most dangerous of the equations would be a stink bomb, and that wouldn't go past four blocks."_

"And what about the one equation that has different writing?"

" _There are no results for that one. Nothing in the world matches it. The title says Herstellen."_

Peter threw his arms in the air. She was just a chemistry geek. Tony had probably set him up to tail her so that he would stay away from important Avengers business. Peter took off his mask and ruffled his hair angrily, then fished his phone of out his pocket.

"Ned? I'm going home. This was a waste of time."

"What happened?"

"She's just a really smart girl who's not important to me. I just want to go to sleep and forget about this horrible week."

"Peter, it's only Monday."

He groaned and stomped his feet. "Whatever, I'll see you at school tomorrow, yeah?"

" _Peter._ "

"Yeah, wanna go get Thai food tomorrow night?" Ned asked.

" _Peter._ "

"Sure, but we also should get started on the science project for the fair-"

" _PETER!"_

The boy jumped up and turned to look through Kaia's window. His eyes widened and his words lodged in his throat.

Kaia had taken off her greasy chestnut hair to reveal a beige cap over her head. She was sitting at her desk in front of a mirror, taking out pins. The cap came undone and she took it off. Seaweed green hair fell past her shoulders and she ran her fingers through it, then massaged her scalp.

"N-Ned?"

"What's wrong? Did she do something?"

"Things just got weird."


	3. Creation

The rest of the following week dragged on. Peter couldn't sleep because of the plethora of theories running around his head as to why Kaia hid her green hair under a brown wig. It puzzled him, and for sure Tony didn't take an interest in her for her taste in hair dye.

Every day after school Peter followed her home and perched himself on the rooftop to watch her work. And every day she had the same routine: after a few hours into the night, she would approach her door, listen for a moment, leave, and then come back with the beige cap and unravel her real hair. She also watched an unhealthy amount of cat videos until she fell asleep at around 2AM, and then would get up at 7 to get ready for school. Peter didn't notice anything else about her other than the hair but decided to keep it to himself for now. He knew how much Tony hated him calling for nothing, and really wanted to impress him with valuable information. Peter found himself wishing she could spontaneously combust at that point, just so that he didn't waste his nights watching her through her window while she watched kitten compilation videos.

When Sunday rolled by, Ned came over to Peter's apartment and they hid out in his room. They had Lego pieces scattered all over the floor and they each took care of a different part of the Snowspeeder they had to assemble.

"You think she's an alien?" Ned asked.

"That would be so cool," Peter said as he was putting together the base rig. "I think she just may be a closeted hipster though."

"Why aren't you on your stakeout now?" Ned asked. "Maybe she starts doing weird things on the weekend."

"Like us?" Peter laughed. "I attached a tracker to the bottom of her bag."

Peter pulled up a holographic map, and on it, a small green icon of the Starbucks mermaid was glowing. Ned gave him a disapproving look, but Peter ignored him because he thought it was a genius idea. "She's been home since Friday afternoon and barely even moved to go to the bathroom. She's probably working on her projects. Which we should also be doing."

"Yeah yeah." Ned waved his hand. "After we finish assembling the Snowspeeder."

It seemed that Peter had lost all interest in Kaia over the course of the week. Tony had given him a very boring mission, and he was a little saddened by that. He even got to know the girl as a stalker would: she enjoyed music from the 80s to the early 2000s, loved animal videos, and loved pastel colors. She couldn't dance for her life unless that was her way of unwinding after a tiring school day. At exactly 6pm without fail, she would have dinner with the person she called Baba, and then went to work. She often paced in front of the chemical equations wall and picked at her wig like it itched her. Then she would furiously scribble into her notebooks, rip out a paper and throw it in the trash. Peter had waited down the garbage shoot and collected whatever she threw out, but it was all incomprehensible. Karen had analyses done but was not able to come up with any results. It only made Peter reinforce that Karen couldn't find any answers because her notes were not of this world. That, or she was trying to play scientist and was failing spectacularly at it. Was she trying to copy someone?

"Karen?" Peter called out as he continued to assemble the front of the vehicle.

" _Yes Peter_."

"Can you pull up any information on her parents?"

" _Certainly_. _Anna and John Jez. Met and married in the South of Poland, Krakow. Moved to the United States after the fall of communism in Eastern Europe in 1991. Both achieved PHDs at the University of Chicago: Anna in Chemical Engineering and John in Astrophysics. They both worked at Colombia University in their respective fields until their accidental death in the summer of 2013._ "

"Poor girl," Ned whispered. Peter stayed quiet and continued to fiddle with the pieces. It explained her interest in Chemistry, and he guessed that the notes plastered all over her walls were her parents'. He just wondered what she was trying to achieve as she mulled over their work every day after school. Did they have some unfinished project that she was trying to complete in honor of them? Or did she have entirely different motives? Tony sure had picked a particular subject, but things still seemed off. Like the deep dark green hair under that wig. She took the time every night at exactly 11PM to go up to her door, listen, leave, and then come back with her wig off. He guessed that she made sure Baba wasn't awake to see her with her hair and wondered if it was that important for her to hide it.

"Peter?"

The boy looked up at Ned who was fixated on the holographic map that was still on. The Starbucks mermaid icon was moving down the building and then walked out onto the street. Peter glanced at the clock and it was well past 10PM.

"You think she's going out to do something bad? Maybe rob a bank? Murder?" Ned asked.

Peter jumped to his feet to get dressed but accidentally stepped on a few Lego pieces. He shouted and swore, and both Ned and Karen yelled at him. "Ned, I need you to stay posted here and stay on the phone with me. Karen, draw me a map to where she is."

" _Certainly_."

Peter discarded his clothes and changed into his red and blue suit. He jumped out of his window and spun his web to swing from building to building. Karen acted as a GPS and told him where he should go, and in just a few minutes he managed to catch up to Kaia. He perched himself in a tree as he watched her walk on the sidewalk. She was wearing a grey hoodie with her hood on top of her head, but she didn't have her brown wig on. Instead, she had her real hair swept to the side. She entered a 24-hour grocery store that looked pretty crowded for a Sunday night.

"Karen, get me a visual on her," Peter said.

" _I thought you had plenty of that._ "

Peter growled, but Karen complied and switched to his body heat vision. Kaia was moving quickly through the aisles, grabbing many items. When she checked out at the cash register, she had two large bags to carry, and almost tripped as she left the store. Peter backed up on the tree branch, hoping she wouldn't see him. She gave the street a quick glance and picked up the pace as she walked back home. Peter called Ned.

Ned picked up immediately. "Status report."

"She just went grocery shopping. It was a false alarm. How's the Speeder?"

"Pretty good, almost done. We just need the top part and the pilot cockpit."

"I'll be there in a few then. I'm turning in for the night."

Peter hung up and was about to jump out of the tree when Karen spoke up.

" _Peter, the least you can do is make sure she gets home safely_."

He leisurely jumped down onto the ground and sighed. "What are the chances of me having a pretty clear conscience if I don't?"

" _About 23%._ "

Peter grumbled and then broke out into a jog. He kept muttering to himself about how Karen always guilt tripped him into doing good deeds that he was a little lazy to do. He wondered if Tony had programmed her especially to do that.

As Peter continued on with a very annoyed monologue, Kaia took small streets to get home and did so very quickly. The boy hoped she would get home already so that he can finish building his Lego model and then go to bed. He wanted to be fully rested for school the next day, and the fact that he had to follow her like a creep made his skin crawl. In the end, this mission was only wasting his time, and Peter couldn't wait to be done with it.

Movement caught Peter's eye and he immediately hid behind the corner of a building. Four men exited a black Lincoln Navigator and conversed amongst themselves, then began to slowly follow Kaia from a safe distance.

"Karen, do you see that? Can you run a facial recognition scan?"

" _Of course,_ " Karen said, and in front of Peter's eyes the tabs pulled up. " _Sergei Solov, ex-Russian military. His son is on his right, Andrei Solov, trained to be a pilot but was let go due to health reasons. The third man is Joe McIntire, expert MMA fighter. And there is no data on the last man._ "

"I don't think they're out here to get ice cream," Peter whispered. He climbed up the side of the building and stepped onto the roof, monitoring them closely. Whenever Kaia looked back as she turned a corner, they would blend in with the shadows of the night and pretend like they're just having a smoke among friends. Kaia began to skip steps, and Peter's senses knew there was something very wrong with the situation.

The men disappeared when she turned onto another street and Peter stopped moving. He scanned the area but couldn't find them, and he began to panic.

A scream ripped through the night.

Peter bounded over the building and swiftly made his way down by spinning his web onto street lamps. He stumbled onto the pavement and began to run at full speed until he turned the corner and saw Kaia surrounded by three men while the fourth stood further away from them.

"Who are you?!" Kaia called out. Peter sat on top of a street lamp and waited, wanting to hear the conversation.

"Dr. Dasleben wants his creation back," Sergei said.

Kaia threw a milk carton at him, and it exploded against the side of his head. He swore at her in Russian, and even Peter gasped despite not knowing the language. Andrei looked to his father, raising an eyebrow.

"Please, Ms. Jez. It would be easier if you followed us willingly," Andrei said. Joe began to crack his knuckles, and then his neck.

"Stay away from me!" Kaia cried out. "I can't control it, you'll get killed!"

"Give it your best shot," Joe said and charged at her. Kaia held out her hands in fear, and Joe skidded to a stop. But nothing happened, and he smirked at her.

"Don't tell me you've lost it?" Joe said. Kaia entire body shook and she kept muttering something under her breath. She tried to escape but Joe grabbed her by the neck and lifted her a few feet off the ground, laughing. She gasped for air and dug her nails into his forearm as her legs flailed.

"Hey guys!"

The men turned around but they weren't fast enough to react. Spider-Man used his webs to tie the Solovs together and then knocked them down and was about to do the same to Joe when the ground exploded under him with water. Joe was ejected onto a car and rolled down onto the pavement unconscious while Peter was sent flying and he tumbling onto the sidewalk. When he lifted his head, he saw that the water pipes had pierced the surface of the street and flooded the area; Kaia was slowly getting up while gripping her head. Peter scrambled to his feet to get to her, but the fourth unidentified man grabbed him and effortlessly threw him into the wall of a building. Peter heard an internal crack and he let out a cry, his breathing becoming momentarily shallow. As he moved, pain seared through his chest and he fell to his knees. The suit's program kept glitching and malfunctioning, a series of red windows popping up about his condition and errors in the interface. The impact and the water must have affected the suit.

Another scream and Peter's head snapped up. He saw the unidentified man was walking towards Kaia who was crawling backward, screaming and crying.

"Please, please don't take me- I'll do anything!" she begged. "I can't go back!"

The man said nothing and reached to grab her, but Kaia swung her arms and a car crashed into him. Only, he didn't move, and the car immediately fell back onto the ground with a dent in its side in the shape of the man.

Peter looked on horrified, but before he could even begin to ask himself what was going on, he knew he had to save Kaia.

"HEY! HEY BIG GUY!"

The man turned around to look at Peter, who was doubled up in pain and wasn't sure what to do.

"YEAH YOU!" he paused. "YOU'RE UGLY!"

Kaia scrambled to her feet and made a run for it, but her legs quickly gave out. The man turned his attention to Peter and started walking towards him. It was then that Peter realized that he wasn't a man, but a boy that looked even younger than him. Only, his entire body was covered in steel and was almost twice as big as the average human being.

Peter moved quickly to follow Karen's instructions despite the immense pain in his side. He tried to hit a normal human's weak spots, but it didn't have any effect on the steel boy. Peter hit him with everything he had. His malfunctioning suit made a series of unusual web combinations, and even those left the boy unscathed.

"Uh, Karen?"

" _Yes Peter._ "

"What are my chances looking like?"

" _Very slim_."

"Good to know."

Peter jumped onto a car and bounded over the boy, and shot a net over him. With a press of a button, the web emitted an electric shock that lasted for 10 seconds and Peter was thankful that feature worked seamlessly still. The steel boy cried out in pain and shook violently, finally falling down to his knees. Peter took a step back as he noticed that the boy's steel form was malfunctioning, and different parts of his body turned to dark looking skin, areas of his face revealing itself to be very human-like.

" _Peter, my analysis shows he can absorb matter_."

"That's so cool!" Peter continued to stare as the steel looked like it was crawling all over his body. "So uh, who are you? What do you want with the girl?"

The boy growled at him and Peter stepped back again. The boy tried to get up and did so with great difficulty. Peter panicked and sent another net at him, and increased the electrical charge. The boy cried out and fell to the floor, and in just a few seconds he wasn't moving anymore.

"Oh my god, did I kill him?" Peter asked.

" _He's just unconscious. I detect a pulse_."

Peter sighed in relief and turned around. Kaia was gone.

"Where'd she go?"

" _She is behind the blue Honda_."

He quickly ran over to the little blue car while gripping his side, and sure enough there she was, curled up on the ground, soaked from head to toe just like him, and gripping her head. He crouched down and very gently touched her arm. She recoiled and cried harder.

"P-Please stay away, I can't control it," she sobbed.

"It's okay miss, I'm Spider-Man. I'm here to help you."

She finally looked to him and her breathing became more stable. Peter offered her his hand, and she hesitantly took it. He noticed she was shaking like a leaf, and as he helped her up he held her by the elbow.

"Come on, let's get you home," he whispered. She nodded and took very small steps. Peter stared at her, making sure not to make any sudden movements and just follow her along. That's when he noticed that his entire wet suit made horrible squeaking sounds, and his face turned hot.

It was only when they got back onto the street that Peter could really assess the damage. Only this time, it wasn't his doing. There were several pipes protruding from the ground and still spouting out water, cars flipped over and totally destroyed, the side of a building caved in (which was technically his fault), and lamp posts deformed in the direction of the thrown cars. Peter was just glad Kaia got out without any injuries, and he had to think of something to say to her to break the awkward silence.

"So uh, what's your name?" he asked. She looked up at him while they continued to walk, her eyes devoid of any emotion.

"Kaia."

Peter smiled under his mask. "Will you be okay to walk all the way there? I can carry you on my back." Though it was an empty offer, as he thought he broke a few ribs.

She shook her head, but her expression changed in an instant. Joe had regained consciousness and was pointing a gun at them. Peter realized a second too late and went to grab Kaia, only she took a step in front of him.

The bullet tore through her. 


	4. Distress Signal

"I'm thinking maybe a June wedding. I don't know, it just speaks to me," Tony said as he plopped down on the bed and kicked off his shoes. Pepper was already settled in and was concentrated on her tablet in her lap.

"Whatever you say, honey," she said.

"I mean, we can also get married in those shark cages. Heard it's quite in season," Tony glanced at her.

"Great idea."

"And you know what? You should wear a dragon suit."

"I'm listening, Tony," Pepper finally met his eyes. He grabbed her tablet and threw it on the ground, placing his head onto her thighs and looking up at her.

"I feel like I'm more excited about this wedding than you are," Tony said.

Pepper sighed and leaned down to peck him gently on the lips. "I have work to worry about, and that's thanks to you. The wedding isn't until next year, I'll get around to planning it soon. We can get a wedding planner to help out too."

"I should start making the guest list," Tony whispered. "Also, how do you feel about having fire breathers greeting people at the entrance?"

Pepper rolled her eyes and leaned in to kiss him again.

" _Tony_."

He flinched and then groaned. "Yes, FRIDAY?"

" _The drones that were dispatched to Queens over an hour ago have returned._ "

"What happened?" Tony sat up.

" _One of them is carrying Peter Parker and the other Kaia Jez. They are both covered in blood._ "

Tony tumbled out of bed like a madman and the door barely managed to open before he dashed out. Pepper rushed after him, but when she left their room, he was already out of sight. He skipped steps as he bounded down the stairs and yelled out to FRIDAY to mobilize all of the staff including the medical team.

He ran into the drone warehouse and skidded to a halt. The Iron Man drones slowly descended onto the unloading platform, and Tony's breath hitched as he saw two bloodied figures.

"KID!"

Peter lifted his tired eyes to Tony and scrambled out of the drones' arms, but his knees gave out and he fell to the ground. He gripped his side and inhaled a shaking breath.

"She... She took a bullet for me," Peter whispered, his eyes turning foggy. "I panicked but I couldn't bring her to a hospital and and- She's dying Mr. Stark please-"

The medical team arrived promptly with stretchers and carried Kaia onto one. When they moved to take Peter too, the boy waved his hand at them and said he was okay. He had ripped a piece of her shirt off to bandage her shoulder where she was shot but he was afraid she had lost too much blood. Her life was in their hands now.

"Are you hurt?" Tony asked. Peter shook his head, despite his purpling eye, scratches on his face, a busted lip and him gripping his ribs. "What happened? What part of do not engage did you not understand, hm?"

Peter's face fell. "I was keeping a safe distance but- There were these men, Mr. Stark- They were going to take her away."

"And maybe they should have. Maybe then she wouldn't have been shot and on the brink of death!" Tony immediately regretted his words when Peter looked up at him, tears spilling onto his cheeks. Tony shook his head and bit his lip, closing his eyes tightly.

"We'll talk about this later. We have to patch you up."

"I'm fine-" But when Peter got up he lost balance, and Tony caught him in his arms.

"Good God, what did they do to you?"

When Kaia got shot, Peter fought Joe to get the gun away from him. After a lengthy fight, in which he got punched in the eye and cracked his ribs further among other things, he sent a distress signal to the Avengers headquarters. When he rendered Joe unconscious, he grabbed Kaia and ran as far away and as fast as he could. He ran so far the soles of his suit shaved off. Before he collapsed from exhaustion, the drones had arrived to save them.

Peter never meant for anything to happen. She shouldn't have jumped in front of him. She had no reason to. He was the one who was supposed to protect the citizens of his city, but he failed to even protect the person beside him. He only wanted to save her and get her home. But in the end, he couldn't even do that.

Tony took Peter's arm and swung it over his shoulders, helping him stand and walk. Pepper met them at the door and helped Tony carry Peter towards the hospital ward. When they brought him into his room and nurses arrived to take care of him, Peter's consciousness began to drift off, until the final thing he saw was Tony's blurry silhouette before the whole world went dark.

"I think you should turn in," Tony said to Pepper as he stepped outside. She was looking at Peter through the window, fiddling with her necklace.

"Why did Peter bring in a girl with a bullet wound?" Pepper asked. Tony's face fell, and he looked away. "Tony?"

"I'll explain later-"

"I want answers right now." Pepper's voice cracked. "Are you recruiting children into the Avengers?"

"I only wanted to keep him busy and away from all of this," Tony said, agitated. "I never imagined this would- Or even could- happen."

Pepper looked like she wanted to argue, but she bit her tongue and stormed away from him. Tony couldn't bear to lift his head to look at her and curled his shaking fist. He managed to calm down with a few breathing exercises, and then made his way to the intensive care unit where they brought Kaia.

He stood in front of a window that gave off into the room where nurses and doctors surrounded her. Helen Cho was on standby on the far right of the room, pressing a few buttons on the cradle. It was an improved model from the previous one that had created Vision. A bullet wound could be sealed up in only a matter of minutes, and not even leave a trace or any damage. Helen was still researching to program the cradle to repair psychological damage as well but fell short much to Tony's disappointment.

"Mr. Stark," a nurse walked over to him and broke his train of thought. "We are extracting the bullet and will proceed with an infusion and then a blood transfusion. The cradle is being prepared for her to be transferred into once she is stabilized."

"Get me a blood sample for analysis," Tony said and pulled up a hologram from his watch.

"Of course," the nurse said and left him.

Tony stared at her file. There was her school picture with her brown hair and all of her basic information. When and where she was born, who her parents were, where she lived currently, all of her social media accounts... All irrelevant to Tony. He began to swipe through her file and pulled up news articles of a laboratory explosion, the miracle child with green hair, a car accident with a family picture, and an obituary dedicated to Anna and John Jez. He bunched up the tabs and threw them to the side and opened up a new document. An employee file of John Jez who worked for Columbia University as a professor, just like his wife Anna. But Tony knew the truth and wondered if Kaia knew as well. 


	5. Awake

Time stood still when Peter awoke. He blinked repeatedly, and felt only numbness and heard only silence. As he sat up, he didn't know where he was, or at least, he couldn't remember how he had gotten there. It was a minimalistic room with large windows that had a city view that looked like it was part of an entirely different world. He realized he was wearing a white shirt and white pants, and his suit was nowhere to be seen.

The events of the night before hit him like a tidal wave.

He jumped out of bed and fell to his knees as the pain in his side returned. Tony. He needed to find Tony. He rushed to the door and accidentally smacked into it, having forgotten he had to press a button to open it. But when he got out into the hallway, he still didn't know where he was. He wasn't given a full tour of the new facility, and didn't even know there were living quarters in it.

"Good morning Peter."

Peter jumped up and held out his hands as if wanting to karate chop the person. Pepper gave a sympathetic smile to his reaction.

"Ms. Potts I- Good morning," he finally said. Pepper gave him spare clothes which he took into his hands. "What..." Peter started, staring down at the grey t-shirt. "What happened? How long was I out? Where's Kaia? Is she alright?" Peter dreaded the answer.

Pepper sighed. "I'll let Tony fill you in on all of that. You've been out for a full day, and you shouldn't worry, your friend has made a full recovery."

He breathed a sigh of relief and had to brace himself against the wall. She made it, she was alright. He laughed a little to himself, thinking this was a small victory amongst the hell they went through.

Once Peter changed into his spare clothes, Pepper gave him a sign to follow her. They did not exchange any words, and Peter wondered why she wasn't her usual chatty self. The look on her face quickly turned colder as they entered the hospital ward and she saw Tony. He was standing outside of Kaia's hospital room with his arms crossed over his chest.

"Tony," Pepper said softly. Tony turned around and saw Peter standing next to her.

"Hey kid," Tony said. "How are the ribs?"

He almost forgot about the pain until he mentioned it. When Peter approached him, he immediately caught sight of the room Kaia was in, and his eyes widened. The room was completely overturned with medical supplies, papers, furniture and broken glass scattered everywhere, a dent in the wall, and Kaia curled up in the corner.

"What...?"

"She woke up about an hour ago." Tony turned to Peter. "Started calling out for someone called Baba, and started yelling something about it all happening again. And then she used her powers to attack my medical personnel and also threw Dr. Cho against the wall. All in all, I think it's been a pretty productive morning."

"Tony," Pepper warned.

The man sighed, then turned to look at Kaia's small frame. "She's been like that for a while now. We tried sedating her but she managed to hurt those people too. Everyone's afraid to walk in there. But we're going to try plan B."

Tony reached for his back pocket and took out Spider-Man's mask and handed it to Peter. "Get her to calm down, kid."

"Woah woah wait- You want me to go in there and talk to her? Who says she won't try and kill me?"

"She saved your life, I'm pretty sure she trusts you at this point."

Peter gulped. He forgot about that, and with a sigh, he put on the mask. He walked over to the door and pressed a button. The door slipped open and he was greeted by cool air and the smell of iron. Blood. When he entered the room, Kaia's head shot up.

"Oh my god," she breathed. "Are you here to save me? Please, I'm so scared," she whispered, tears falling. "Please, just get me out of here."

He stepped carefully around the broken glass and crossed the room to kneel near her. His heart was racing, hoping she wouldn't do to him what she had done to the others. He also noticed her soles were bloodied, probably from walking on the glass. "Kaia, listen to me. We need to-"

"Please Spider-Man," she choked on her sobs and grabbed onto his arm. Goosebumps crawled onto his skin and an electric current crossed his nerves. "We can't stay here. They're going to kill us."

Peter's eyes widened. "Who?"

"Atlas." She was shaking and sobbing and inhaling deeply. Peter was about to put his hand on her shoulder when the door opened and they both snapped towards it. Tony walked in and he flashed them a smile.

"So, ready to go?" he said and spread his arms out.

"No- No- NO!" Kaia crawled back to the wall and wailed. "LEAVE ME ALONE!"

"Kaia calm down, please, everything's okay," Peter said, trying to approach her carefully. "We're here to help you. We're not-"

"I'm not going to be experimented on again!" Kaia screamed and swung her arms. Tony catapulted into the ceiling and crashed back onto the ground. Kaia grabbed Peter and dragged him along with her, letting out screams as she walked with her bare feet onto shards of glass, blood trailing behind her steps. Peter began to panic and grabbed Kaia by the shoulders, and spun her around to face him.

"Kaia please!" he begged. "Please calm down or you'll hurt innocent people! You just threw Tony Stark!"

Kaia's face fell, and her tears stopped. She stared at Tony who was trying to get up and not show that he had just broken his ribs or sprained his wrist.

"That," Tony started with a groan. "Is definitely part of the Top 10 First Meetings That Will Be Remembered list."

"Stark?" Kaia repeated. "This-?"

"I brought you to the Avengers Facility because I didn't know who else to turn to," Peter said. "You were dying in my arms, Kaia."

"You're lying!" She cried out and shook her head repeatedly. She made a move to swing her arms again but Peter grabbed her wrists.

"You trust me, don't you?" Peter asked. "I'm... I'm an Avenger, you've got to trust me!"

Her tears spilled over again, and she began to shake. Peter knew that at this rate, she was going to hurt him too. Without another thought, he slipped off his mask and his eyes finally met hers.

"Do you recognize me? I'm Peter Parker. We have Chemistry and English together, remember?"

There was a dawning realization in her eyes, and her expression changed from fear to confusion.

"You? But... How?"

"Right now, you need to trust us to help you. I promise you, I won't let anyone hurt you. And this is a promise made by Spider-Man  _and_  Peter Parker."

"The same Peter Parker that only acknowledged my existence just a few days ago?"

Peter stayed quiet, and Kaia wiped her tears away. He could feel her anger radiate, and he wasn't able to predict what she would do to both him and Tony who was barely standing upright just a few feet away. But instead of attacking them, she sat down on the ground and stared blankly ahead of her. Peter met her eyes, but he only saw a void again.

"Is my grandma alright?" she asked very calmly.

"Grandma?"

"My Baba and I live together. I can't imagine what she's thinking if I'm not home." Kaia brought her legs closer to her body and wrapped her arms around them.

"Taken-" Tony groaned again. "Taken care of. I sent some guys over to keep an eye on her. She received a call this morning."

Kaia hid her face behind her knees and began to take in deep breaths. Peter thought that he managed to calm her down, at least for the time being. He wasn't sure what he could do for her or what he could say. He had hundreds of questions, starting with her statement that she was experimented on.

After a moment, Kaia lifted her head and looked to Peter. "If I tell you everything I know, will you let me go home? Please, I can't leave her alone. She's the only family I have left."

Peter felt his heart disintegrate. He got up and turned to Tony with pleading eyes and the man sighed.

"You can call," Tony said. "But we have to keep you here for safety measures, both yours and everyone else's. I'm sorry kid, but I think you'll be here for a while until we figure things out."

"But she's been quiet this whole time, Mr. Stark!" Peter said. "Those men provoked her to use her powers- If not to protect herself, then to protect me! I'm sure letting her go home won't be that big of a deal, and I can keep an eye on her-"

"You forget, kid, that we can't trust her completely either! How do we know if she's not working for those men and is exactly where she wants to be right now? And her powers-"

"She took a bullet for me!"

Tony bit his lip and held onto his broken ribs. Kaia got back up onto her feet and winced, glancing down at the trail of blood the cuts on her soles left.

"I just..." Kaia started, "I just wanted a normal life. I didn't mean to hurt anyone. Please, believe me."

Tony narrowed his eyes at her. "Follow me. I can't stand the smell of blood."

He passed in between Kaia and Peter and left the room. Peter glanced down at Kaia's bleeding feet and then crouched down for her to climb onto his back. Kaia stared at him for a moment, and without a word, she hesitantly wrapped her arms around his shoulders and he hoisted her up. Peter tried to hide that he was in pain and forced himself to go forward.

Tony continued to walk as he spoke. "We managed to get the bullet out of your shoulder and we placed you into the regeneration cradle. All of the damaged tissue was repaired within a few minutes. You were out for most of the night until you woke up and completely destroyed the place."

Peter felt Kaia tense, and her grip tightened around him. "I'm sorry," she whispered. She did not say anything else and rested her head against his shoulder. Peter wondered what was going to happen to her, what Tony's plans were. All he knew was that she seemed to be valuable to him, and he couldn't afford to lose her.

Peter also began to wonder what his role in all of this really was. 


	6. Ghosts

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone Luna here! Just wanted to apologize for posting this so late, it was supposed to be up on Sunday but work and life got in the way. I should update with chapter 7 at the end of this week or at the beginning of the next. 
> 
> For now, I do hope you all enjoy! Thank you so much for the support, it means the world to me.

Kaia stared at her bandaged feet as the nurse left the lounge room. Tony was standing at the other end of the table while Kaia and Peter sat opposite of each other. Peter glanced at her, his questions bouncing off the walls of his brain. Not only was her green hair nagging at him, but he wanted to know what exactly her powers entailed. His weren't prominent as opposed to Thor or Wanda Maximoff, and always envied them for being so powerful.

"I'll start by saying what I know," Tony said as he leaned onto the table. "And you'll fill in the blanks."

Kaia nodded and lifted her eyes towards him. Peter observed her carefully, trying to analyze her expression. She looked terrified, and her eyes were still red from crying. He couldn't imagine how she felt leaving her grandmother behind, and it made his chest tighten at the thought of having to leave Aunt May the same way. His heart dropped to his stomach as he remembered he hadn't come back home last night and was afraid to even look at his phone.

"Atlas," Tony started. "Was an organization that attempted to imitate the Russian experimentations meant to create superhumans like the M- like Wanda Maximoff. They thought since the Russians couldn't succeed at the time, well, before Wanda and P-" He sighed. "The Americans thought they could do it better. But they also failed."

Kaia nodded and began to pick at her fingers. She spoke quietly, "They experimented on prisoners on death row. All of them died because of the extreme procedures involving pathogens that carried the mutant genes to enhance a human."

She swallowed hard and her eyes glossed over. "They became desperate." Her voice cracked, and Peter noticed her hands were shaking. She began to pinch the area between her index and her thumb, her skin turning red. "They realized that the mutant gene was rejected by adult bodies because of their developed immune system, and the pathogen would take over instead of the gene. There were complications when performing the experimentations as well. Some didn't make it out of surgery."

A single tear fell from her eye, and she quickly wiped it away before continuing in a hoarse voice, "My birth mother was a scientist at that lab. And she's the one that discovered that children and infants would be less susceptible to fight the dominant gene in the pathogen. She offered me up as a last resort. I was seven years old."

Silence fell in the room, and Peter felt his throat tighten up. He stared at her as she slowly got up and winced. She steadied herself on her bandaged feet and turned her back towards them. She lifted her shirt enough for them to see deep, surgical scars etched into her skin, and Peter quickly looked away. She sat back down into the chair and sighed in relief. "I woke up after the surgery and that's when I realized something was wrong with me. It felt like my entire body had been burned to ash then reconstructed altogether. My hair turned green as a result of the mutant gene taking over." She ran her fingers through her disheveled locks. "I instantly lost control."

"Did you cause the explosion?" Tony whispered with widened eyes, and she nodded. "The entire laboratory was leveled. No one survived that but you?"

She looked to Peter then. "Death takes pity on those who are not meant to live."

Peter felt queasy. It was a lot to take in at the moment, and he didn't know if he wanted to know the rest of her story. He had heard enough and his entire body began to ache at the thought of all the procedures they had done on her.

"They found me in the rubble," she said. "And I was put into foster care until I was adopted by Anna and John Jez. They raised me and taught me all about science. And we traveled a lot too. Our favorite place was Florida, Pompano Beach." A tear rolled down her cheek.

"So the people that attacked us last night," Peter started. "They were Atlas? If no one else survived, then how is it possible that they're back?"

She shrugged. "They mentioned Dr. Dasleben. He was the man who experimented on me. I'm not sure how he survived, and that enhanced boy tells us they started Project P again."

"Project P?" Tony looked to Kaia.

"Prometheus," Kaia whispered.

"Which is?"

Her pupils began to shake. "They want to create an army of super-humans."

Tony began to amble around the room with a frown. Peter had so many questions for Kaia, but knew she had a lot on her shoulders at the moment.

"How did they find you?" Peter asked, but she shrugged. Tony fished something out of his pocket and held up a very small chip for them to see.

"This was embedded into your neck," Tony said. Kaia's hands immediately flew behind her hair and she looked alarmed. "They must have put a tracker into you when they conducted the experiments. This Dasleben guy must have been hopeful his creation survived."

Creation. Peter grimaced at that, thinking Tony made it sound like she was Frankenstein's monster. Kaia's gaze lowered, no doubt thinking the same. A creation, torn apart and put together again; never to feel the same.

"Wait..." It dawned on Kaia and her eyes grew wide. "If I've had that tracking device in my neck since then... Then they know where I live. They know where I go to school-" She put a hand over her mouth. "I can't go back home, what if they go there? What if they take my grandmother as a hostage-?"

"I have some people over there explaining the situation to her. She's safe for now."

"Can you send her away? Send her to Poland or France. If they know where I live then they'll come after her if they can't find me. I can't let that happen. Please, Mr. Stark, I don't have enough money to do it but I promise I'll pay you back-"

Tony looked a little offended. "I can guarantee her safety and you don't have to pay me back for anything. But what about you?"

"I... I don't know." She buried her face in her hands. "I can't... I can't live the rest of my life running. You have to stop Atlas somehow. Mr. Stark, if they succeed... Then it will be the end of the world."

Peter hadn't realized the gravity of the situation. This poor girl was being hunted, had uncontrollable powers, and had to be separated from the only family she had left. He couldn't begin to comprehend what it all meant for her, nor did he think he could easily make a decision in her situation. Not to mention the fate of the world hung in the balance.

"You're welcome to stay here. At least we can protect you and you can learn to control your powers." Tony gestured around him.

"But what about commuting to school?" Peter couldn't help but snicker under his breath, thinking out of everything, that was her concern.

"I have a helicopter that can get you there on time. Or a chauffeur if you prefer the traditional way. Helicopter is cooler though."

Kaia thought for a moment, then looked out the window to the city of New York in the far off distance.

"I'll stay."


	7. Family Secrets

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! I was supposed to update this a long time ago but I got really sick, unfortunately. Updates should come faster this time around, and, as always, I do hope you enjoy!
> 
> Thank you so much for all of the kudos and support I've gotten from all of you, as well as to my commentators. You guys are the few hopeful stars I see strung in the night sky.

A nurse came in with a wheelchair for Kaia as the cuts on her feet were too deep for her to walk normally. The cradle was damaged when Kaia lost control and would take a while to repair which meant her feet would have to heal naturally until then. The nurse wheeled her out towards the new room Tony had given her and promised that he would have her belongings sent over. She gave Peter one last glance before disappearing out the door, and for some reason, his heart tightened.

"New assignment, kid."

Peter's ears perked up and he stared at Tony in anticipation. "Mr. Stark?"

"You're her bodyguard from now on, alright? There are a few other things I want to confirm on my end, and we need her for things to work out. Keep an eye out for any suspicious activity."

"Yes, sir!"

Peter put aside his worries and was driven by Tony's words. He was going to focus on her and thought it shouldn't be a difficult task. He was going to accomplish this no matter what, and make sure that Tony would be proud of him for doing so.

When Peter left the room, he immediately went over to see where Kaia was residing. He entered the lobby of the residency wing and greeted the attendant sitting at the desk, who returned a curt smile towards him. He glanced at the registry and saw the name JEZ next to the number 701, and was glad to know that she was on the same floor as him. Tony had told him that veteran Avengers had entire floors and that he would only need a bedroom and bathroom. Peter would've been elated with just a locker either way and what he was offered was more than enough. He did have to call up Aunt May to let her know that he was alive and well, and had to stay at the facility for the time being. Ever since she had found out about his identity, she was worried sick for him but never stopped him from trying to save people. He was thankful for that. He was thankful to her for a lot of things.

He skipped steps as he walked over to Kaia's room and stopped in front of her door. He took in a deep breath before he knocked on it, but he stopped himself before he did. She probably didn't want to see anyone right now. Least of all him. He hesitated once more, wondering how she was doing, but decided against it and turned back around, walking towards his room.

When he entered, Peter dialed Aunt May's number and dreaded her reaction. Of course, when he spoke as she answered his call, she cursed him out. It was a long one-sided conversation between the two, which ultimately led to Aunt May's voice cracking and Peter's heartbreaking just a little. Once she had calmed down, she asked him what happened. Peter didn't want to tell her the truth, but he couldn't stomach lying to her anymore. So he told her about everything, from him being assigned to spy on Kaia, all the way to her taking a bullet for him.

Aunt May stayed quiet on the other side of the line, and Peter thought she had hung up.

"Are you both safe now?" she asked quietly.

"We're both alright and at HQ. Mr. Stark gave us a room here and asked me to protect her when she wants to go out. I don't know when she will want to go back to school though, and I don't know when I'll be back home."

Another pause. "Peter, sweetie, I know you are a very capable young man but... Maybe this is out of your grasp. Maybe you should leave this to the other, more experienced, Avengers."

Peter was hurt by her comment but knew she was only worried about him. He was beginning to think this was beyond him as well but didn't know for sure until he gave it a try.

They exchanged a few more words before hanging up, and Peter then called up Ned who picked up immediately. He was also met with swearing, and a one-sided chastising session began anew. When Ned had finally calmed down, Peter spoke, "Mr. Stark gave me a new assignment."

"Really? Already? You kinda failed the last one."

Peter scoffed. "He wants me to be her bodyguard."

"Damn. Does that mean that she will join us in our LEGO and Thai nights?"

***

Rain greeted Peter the next morning as he was eating breakfast alone in Tony's dining room. The cook had made him a feast, and he felt a little sad that Tony wasn't able to join him as he had urgent business to attend to. Pepper also had an early start that morning, and he had barely caught her as she left in a black sedan.

He looked around and admired the minimalistic grandeur that Tony loved to live in. It felt a little cold to him though; his apartment with Aunt May wasn't nearly as nice as what Tony had, but at least it felt very homey and had a warmth to it.

His head snapped to the side and his eyes widened as the door slid open and Kaia wheeled herself through with difficulty. Peter immediately got up and walked over to help her, but she waved her hand at him.

"I got this," she said through gritted teeth as she pushed herself forward, and ended up hitting the edge of the counter. Peter hesitantly reached for her but she got away from him, and with small, squirrel-like grunts she got to the dining table which she also bumped into. Peter rushed to move a chair out of the way, and she gave him an embarrassed smile and settled into the spot clumsily.

She exhaled deeply and slumped further into her chair. "My arms are so sore and it wasn't even that far."

"Why didn't you ask a nurse to help you? You could've called me too."

"I didn't want to bother anyone, but now I'm starting to think that would have been a good idea," she chuckled. A woman wearing a white chef's uniform came over to her and asked what she wanted for breakfast, and her face suddenly lit up.

"Just some buttered toast please."

The woman raised her eyebrows. "We can make you Belgian waffles covered in wild berries with Canadian bacon and breakfast potatoes on the side. Or cranberry oatmeal and a cheese croissant. Even fried chicken and salad is an option."

Kaia glanced at Peter who had sat back down in his spot a few chairs away. He had a bowl of fruit, three Belgian waffles stacked and covered with strawberries, grated chocolate, and whipped cream, a basket of fried potato wedges mixed in with bacon strips and a bowl of scrambled eggs. "Thank you, but I'll be fine with just toast. I don't want to trouble you."

Peter felt like an asshole.

They sat in communicative silence, a mix of rain hitting the window and the distant noise coming from the kitchen next door. Peter wasn't sure what to tell her, or where to begin. She seemed to have regained the color in her face, and her green hair was tied in a braid on the side. One of the lenses of her glasses was cracked, but she didn't seem to mind.

"Uhm, Mr. Spiderman?"

Peter almost choked on his orange juice. "Please," he coughed, "Call me Peter."

Her cheeks tinged pink and she fiddled with her fork. "I just... I never got the chance to thank you for saving me."

"Oh no no no-" he waved his hands at her. "You took a bullet for me- I should be thanking you!"

Another awkward silence. The same woman who took their orders before came back with Kaia's breakfast and the girl widened her eyes at the sight of it. She said only buttered toast, but that looked ridiculous to both of them. The toast was cut into triangles placed in a pyramid, their facets glistening with melted butter. Next to them were three small bowls, one with plain butter, another with roasted paprika cream cheese, and the other a caramelized onion spread. On the other side was a nest of assorted fruits, and was topped off with two edible fuschia colored orchids.

"The chef," the woman whispered, "was a little offended at you wanting just some buttered toast. He has 12 Michelin stars, you see."

Kaia eyed her plate and looked like she was afraid to touch it, but then her stomach growled and it gave her away. She was about to take her first bite when another woman entered the room, and Peter recognized her to be one of Pepper's assistants, Norma.

"Ms. Jez, your belongings have arrived and were placed in your room. Once you are done, please check if everything is accounted for. Should you need anything moved, please let me know."

Kaia nodded and thanked her, then began to eat her breakfast. Peter's mind trailed off to Atlas and what they could possibly want with Kaia. The girl that blended with the wall in class, the girl who feared her powers, the girl who was part of the Captain America Fanclub. Even connecting all the dots left Peter in confusion. Why did they suddenly remember her? They had almost 10 years to get her back. And what about the enhanced boy that could absorb matter that attacked them? What was his role in all of this?

"Hey, Peter?" He turned to look at Kaia who had finished eating. "Do you mind if I ask you something?"

"No, not at all!"

"What's Thor like?"

His lips stretched into a wide grin and a small chuckle escaped. "I... Haven't had the chance to meet him exactly, I heard he's out of town. I was only able to meet the others briefly, we had some stuff going on in Germany. I'm closest to Mr. Stark, so I can tell you more about him than the others- Oh, I did get to hold Cap's shield though!"

Her smile grew wider as he spoke. "Maybe we'll both get to meet the other Avengers one day." Kaia moved back from her spot and began to wheel herself away. "I'm going to go check on my stuff if you want to join me."

Peter sprang up to his feet and took the handles of Kaia's wheelchair. She gave him a startled expression as he pushed her out of the dining room and through the door, but looked thankful for his gesture. They made small talk about the Avengers as they took the elevator up to the 7th floor. Peter quickly found out where and how she discovered them, and who her favourite was. It was Thor.

When they entered her room, Peter watched Kaia as she couldn't help but marvel at the fact that they set up her room the way it was in her apartment. Only, everything was spaced out compared to the compact room she had been living in the past three years. There were a few boxes of her belongings, more specifically the contents of her desk, that were placed on the ground.

Peter helped Kaia out of the wheelchair and she momentarily lost her balance and fell against Peter. They both turned red in the face and she apologized under her breath.

"The kind nurse gave me numbing cream for my feet. I think it's working a little too well," she said and chuckled. Peter held onto her arm as she made baby steps towards the boxes, and helped her sit down on the floor next to them.

She began to unpack the contents, pausing as the first thing she fished out was a framed picture. She held it out to Peter and said, "This was taken a few days before the accident. Our first day of vacation in Florida." Peter took the frame into his hands and admired the photograph; Kaia was standing in front with her arms outstretched towards the sky, while her mom was on her left looking to the camera with a soft smile, and her father was laughing and a little bit blurry from moving.

"My parents passed away too. And then my uncle died around a year ago, maybe a little more." Peter handed her the picture, and she looked to him with saddened eyes.

She gazed at the picture, her fingers brushing over it. "I just can't believe I lost my mom twice." Her chin quivered a little but she inhaled deeply and moved on to unpack the rest. Peter couldn't help but feel immense sympathy towards her. After all, it felt like he lost a father twice.

Peter began to help Kaia unpack the contents of her desk, and in no time the first box was already done. When she opened the next one, she gave an audible groan.

"They're all mixed up!" Kaia took out a pile of papers that Peter recognized to be the ones that were plastered on her wall. The people who got her things must have just dumped them in a box without thought, and Peter had to hold himself back from saying he knew what they were. She still didn't know he practically stalked her.

"If you look at the numbers in the corner, it's all chronological. So if you can gather them in that fashion-" she grabbed some papers and quickly got distracted, looking over the contents of each page. She scooted away to make room on the floor where she slowly began to order them. Peter sat down next to her as well, looking over her shoulder at what she was holding.

"What is all of this?" He grabbed a handful and began to look through them. He recognized all of the handwritten notes of formulas, technological schematics, and chemical reactions that he had seen before.

"They're my parent's work. It was some top secret stuff that they never wanted me to know about. Now I'm left with a puzzle."

Peter was tempted to ask what exactly happened to them but knew best that it was not the time to be bringing it up.

She started putting everything as it was on her wall. Peter observed what she was doing, and copied her. In no time they put everything back together, all but one paper that was in Peter's hands. It was the sole paper that didn't match her parent's writing, and he recalled Karen saying that it was Kaia's. A chemical formula that didn't exist anywhere else in the world, and he saw the name of it on the paper.

"What is  _Herstellen_?" he asked as he eyed the contents. Kaia glanced at him and gently took the paper into her own hands.

"It's my attempt at being a chemist," she chuckled. "I'm planning on testing it out when I have the tools to do so."

"What... Does it do exactly?"

Kaia paused, and her smile disappeared. " _Herstellen_  is the Dutch word for 'to restore'."

"What do you want to restore?" Peter feared her answer would include digging up her parents.

Her lips pressed into a thin line. "If I was made, then I can be unmade."

"You want to revert your mutation?" he breathed.

Kaia nodded and quietly placed her equation at the center of the paper mural. Peter wondered why she didn't want to try and learn how to live with her mutation, then again his powers weren't as prominent or uncontrollable as hers. But there must have been someone out there that could teach her how to control them, and he could even give it a shot if it meant helping her out. He was sure Mr. Stark could do something about it too.

"You know," Kaia started. "I've always thought that if I could use my powers for good I could be part of the Avengers. A silly dream I had when I was younger. Never thought I would be under their protection-" She winced and grabbed her right shoulder, massaging the area where the bullet hit her.

"Does it hurt?" Peter asked worriedly.

"I... Don't know how to explain it." She moved her shirt to reveal untouched skin, tracing a finger over where the wound would have been. "It's a lingering dull pain. Like a ghost."

"Do you think you'll be going back to school at this rate?"

She thought for a moment. "I think my parents will forgive me for taking a few days to myself. We have the English project and science fair project due next week so, gotta be in top shape."

Peter paled. With him running around after Kaia these past few weeks, he completely forgot about all of the projects he had to do, and Ned hadn't gotten a start on them either. He knew he was royally screwed and let out a loud groan, messing up his hair furiously. He wondered how many sleepless nights his body could take to finish everything up.

The cuckoo clock on Kaia's night table chimed twelve times and Peter immediately jumped onto his feet, thinking he had taken more of her time than he had intended.

"Wait-! You don't have to go..."

He raised his eyebrows. "Oh, I just thought you might be tired. I mean, you did get shot just last night."

She gave him a shy smile. "I just... Like talking with you. You take my mind off of things. And it's nice to see a familiar face, even if you've only noticed me after three years."

Peter went scarlet from embarrassment and began to apologize profusely, but she insisted that she was only joking about that. The room quickly filled with laughter, and Peter had forgotten about the situation for just a second. And that moment meant a lot to him, especially after seeing Kaia get shot for protecting him. He owed her his life.

He took a quick glance at the papers on the ground, and his eyebrows kneaded together. "Kaia? What did you say before about all of this?"

"That it's my parent's research?"

"No, you said... You said this was a puzzle for you to put together." He dropped to his knees and took her sole paper out of the pile and put it aside, inspecting the layout carefully.

"Karen?"

"The name is Kaia-"

" _Hello, Peter._ "

Kaia flinched at the sound of the AI's voice and looked frantically around.

"Scan the layout and make a digital copy, please." Peter held out his watch, and a laser beam emanated from it, quickly covering the entire floor before disappearing. In just a second the layout was projected in front of them in red, and Kaia stared in utter amazement.

"Careful," Peter said and couldn't help but laugh. "You'll start drooling."

She quickly closed her mouth, her cheeks blushing again.

"Karen, set aside the chemical formulas," Peter said, and Karen automatically extracted the papers in question and set them aside in a digital pile. "You said they're marked in chronological order, but I don't think that's the point. See, the chemical components should not be mixed in with the technical components. I don't think the numbers have anything to do with this."

"But why would they write them then?" Kaia asked, staring at the layout. "There must be a link with the numbers, I'm sure of it."

"Can you think of a combination?" Peter asked, but there were too many papers for her to remember a combination of. And just as he thought, she shook her head.

With his hand, Peter spread out the digital papers that were set aside. Kaia got closer to him to get a better look, and that's when Peter noticed the hair on his arms shifting towards her, and he still wondered why that kept happening.

Kaia grabbed onto his arm much to his surprise, but her horrified expression was fixated on the red hologram. She slowly got up and staggered towards her desk where she retrieved an old battered notebook. Peter approached her, looking at the contents of it. She flipped through the pages decisively, knowing exactly where she needed to look. Finally, she stopped at a page in the middle of the bulky and beaten book, and then she spoke in a shaking voice, "I thought these were just dates. But I think... I think this... Tell Karen to re-organize the sketches 6x12." She then called out different numbers, and Karen followed. Soon enough, all of the sketches aligned, and Kaia's knees gave out as she put a hand over her mouth.

" _Peter_."

"Yeah?" his voice cracked.

" _I analyzed the composition of the paper, and found that there is cerium oxalate on the back of them."_

 _"_ That... That's what they used as invisible ink during World War II," Kaia whispered, the fear in her eyes growing.

" _If you turn the layout on the other side, you'll see the writing_."

The display switched sides and both Kaia and Peter gasped. The AI darkened the cerium oxalate to form a string of letters that were clear as day, and Peter stumbled backward, whispering "no" under his breath.

Stark Industries.


	8. Overthinking

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoy this small chapter!

No one but Ned and MJ noticed Peter and Kaia's absence. Peter had gone back to school the next day despite his broken ribs, but Kaia was a prisoner of her bed. She didn't feel like getting up, nor did she say more than a few words to him when he visited her in the morning. She was still very much distraught over what they had found out the night before. They decided to keep it between themselves for the time being, and Peter promised he would do some digging on his end.

"Is Kaia going to be okay?" Ned asked during lunchtime.

Peter nodded. "She's going to need a few days but... I think she said she will come back next week."

"Good," MJ said as she plopped down at their table in the cafeteria. "Got that English project we gotta hand in and I sure as hell am not working on that alone."

Peter's lips pressed into a thin line. He couldn't tell her Kaia had been shot or that her parents weren't who she thought they were and hoped MJ wouldn't actually give her a hard time. Kaia looked to be taking the news really badly, and he wasn't sure what he could do to bring up her morale. When he was down in the dumps, he usually talked with Aunt May or got his favourite sandwich from Delmar's Deli-Grocery and would spend the night curled up in bed watching a movie. She didn't have anyone from her family to talk to, and she hadn't touched her breakfast when he came to visit her. She wouldn't even look at him when he spoke.

Ned tried to take his mind off of things and began talking about a new robot developed by NASA meant to travel to Neptune. Then he brought up their science fair project, and Peter had a whole new dread fester up in the pit of his stomach. He still hadn't thought of anything in particular and they decided to brainstorm. MJ wasn't helping with her outrageous ideas, suggesting a fire-breathing toilet, a cuckoo clock that spat instead of chirped, or a self-destructing pen that exploded in ink.

"How about an application that keeps track of criminal incidents in the area you're in?" Ned suggested.

"Oh, you mean like the news?" MJ said and raised her eyebrows. Ned curled his lips inward and Peter couldn't help but chuckle.

"Alright then... What do you think we need in the world?" Ned asked MJ.

"Cleaner air, sustainable energy production, equal rights for women, stronger anti-pollution laws, vaccinated children-"

"Alright, we get it," Ned growled. But her words gave Peter an idea.

"How about an air purifier?" Peter said.

"You're joking right?" MJ laughed.

"I fail to see why your input is relevant to us?" Ned raised an eyebrow at her.

"Like you guys have any better ideas than an air purifier, which by the way already exists since the 1830s." Both Peter and Ned looked at her with frowns, wondering how the hell she knew that oddly specific fact. MJ quickly followed with, "It was in a documentary."

"I meant a multi-purpose air purifier. Creates energy and is self-sustainable. And also purifies the air."

Ned looked like he had discovered the secrets of the universe. "What if we make an eco-wall? Like a wall that grows plants that accomplish all of that? Implement a generator and a filter, and voila!"

And thus, their science project was born.

***

After school, Peter jogged to Delmar's Deli-Grocery. He hadn't been there for a while and Mr. Delmar had just finished renovations after Peter accidentally destroyed the place. Well, it wasn't his fault directly, but still.

The bell chimed as he entered the shop, greeted by the smell of meats and cleaning products. Mr. Delmar sat behind the counter, reading the newspaper and only acknowledged him when he approached the counter.

"Mr. Parker," he said with a smile.

"Her Mr. Delmar," Peter replied. "How's everything?"

"Business is great since we re-opened, even better since we got some news coverage."

"I expect nothing less from the best deli in Queens."

Peter had called Aunt May earlier to let her know he would come home to visit and have dinner with her. He ordered his favourite, sandwich number five with pickles, and for his aunt, he got the meatball sub. He pondered the menu for a minute, wondering if he should grab something for Kaia as well.

"What's with the look?"

Peter turned to Mr. Delmar and shook his head. "No look, just thinking."

"Well think faster, you're holding up the line."

Peter glanced back to see there were three others waiting their turn. On one hand, he was happy for Mr. Delmar, especially after all that he had gone through. On the other, the deli was his own little safe haven.

He settled on another order of number five with pickles on the side. He wasn't sure if she liked pickles. Or if she liked sandwiches. Maybe she was vegetarian? Pescatarian? Vegan? Was she allergic to sandwiches? He knew he had to stop overthinking things or else he would drive himself insane. He gave Mr. Delmar the money, exactly $18.80, and scurried out of the deli.

The sun was slowly setting on an uneventful day, creeping down the horizon with the day's final rays of light. Peter fell into a quick pace towards the apartment he called home, eager to finally see Aunt May again after the entire ordeal with Kaia. And then she was on his mind again, and he couldn't quite shake her off. Had she eaten anything that day? Was she still in bed? Did she feel alone? Scared?

Peter passed his apartment complex by a few buildings, and shook and tapped his head. "Get it together," he whispered to himself and climbed up the front doorsteps.

Before he slipped the key into the lock, the door swung open and Aunt May was standing in the doorframe, her eyebrows knitted together. Peter gave her a sheepish laugh, but when she threw herself onto him and pulled him into a tight hug, he fell very quiet. He held her back tightly as well, burying his face into the crook of her neck and letting out a shaky sigh. He hadn't realized he was barely holding it together until he saw Aunt May, and everything came crumbling down.

"I was so worried," she whispered and pulled away, her hand resting on his cheek. He looked back at her with tears in his eyes, glad she seemed to be alright even though a little worried.

"I brought dinner," he said and held up the bag with the sandwiches. She ushered him inside and Peter was graced with the familiar burnt food smell, and the tension in his shoulders finally released. He settled into the dining room booth and unpacked his dinner while Aunt May got them cans of coke and sat down across from him.

As they ate, Peter told her about what he and Kaia had discovered just the night before. Aunt May had to stop eating and listened with her mouth agape. Peter couldn't live without telling someone about what they found out, hoping Aunt May could guide him in his next steps. Because for the first time in a long time, Peter really didn't have a plan.

"Peter," Aunt May started, with her mouth full, "I knew Mr. Stark was a rat all along."

"Aunt May!"

"Peter, honey, sweetie, what is his plan to have taken this girl? Why did he want you to keep an eye on her? He knows something you two don't, and I bet it's got something to do with those schematics."

It dawned on Peter, that it may not have been about Atlas this whole time, at least, not entirely. Maybe Atlas' appearance worked out in Tony's favor to hide what he was really after. And Peter was beginning to think that him saving Kaia wasn't all that good of a thing.

"What should I do?" Peter's voice came out thinner than he had anticipated.

Aunt May shrugged. "What can you do in a situation like this? Maybe I'm just biased because he puts my dear nephew through hell for the greater good of the planet, and maybe Tony doesn't even have an idea about what is in that girl's possession. All I'm saying is, it's a pretty darn big coincidence."

Aunt May's eye caught the plastic bag that was on the table and took a peek at it. "Are you going to eat two sandwiches?"

Peter's cheeks tinged pink. "I... Kind of bought it for Kaia. I don't know what I was thinking."

A smile grew on her face. "Do you like her?"

He looked at her deadpan. "It's a small gesture for the girl who took a bullet for me."

She pursed her lips and nodded, then grinned. "Whatever you say, Spider-Boy."

He rolled his eyes and groaned.

"Well if you bought it, you should give it to her." Aunt May got up and walked over to the fridge and grabbed another can of coke, and a plate with a slice of cheesecake on it. She put everything into the plastic bag and handed it to Peter, who looked at her with confused eyes.

"I expect you to go to school on time and to not fall back on your homework with all this Spider business. And if you could make it home from time to time, this old lady," meaning her even though she was barely in her late 30s, "would appreciate it. Also, I'd like to meet her."

"She's not my girlfriend!" Peter whined.

"I never said she was." She gave him a sly grin. "I'd like to thank her in person for saving my boy's life."

He rolled his eyes and grabbed the bag. He didn't know why he had bought the sandwich for her if it meant going back to the compound whereas he wanted to spend some time home. Then again, she was all alone back there.

"And I want my plate back!"


End file.
